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Why You Love ... or Hate ... Breaking Dawn

We'll come clean: We caught an early screening of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 on Wednesday night, and we loved every second of it.Sure, some parts -- like the talking wolves -- are completely ridiculous, but that's half...

Sure, some parts -- like the talking wolves -- are completely ridiculous, but that's half the fun, right? It's not like a movie about a girl who falls in love with a vampire is realistic or anything.

But it turns out, there's a scientific reason why some of us are Twihards and some of us are not. According to a new study, published in the journal Imagination, Cognition and Personality, people engage in "imaginative involvement" at different levels of cognitive and emotional intensity, which helps determine how much they enjoy Robert Pattinson, or Harry Potter.

"It is really one's motivation and ability to be absorbed by the imaginative experience that puts people in a good mood," study co-author Russell Webster, a doctoral student in social psychology at Kansas State University, told us.

"I say 'imaginative involvement' in general and not 'fantasy' specifically, because for some people, it did not matter whether they engaged in imaginative experiences involving fantasy or not: as long as they were engaging in a imaginative experience, they felt happier and reported being more engaged."

In other words, those of us who line up for midnight showings of Twilight and Harry Potter do so because the films make us feel good.

"Engaging in imaginative experiences appears to be what we call in psychology an 'emotional coping strategy' to help alleviate stress in our lives," Webster says, adding that "Lord of the Rings" author J.R.R. Tolkien referred to this phenomenon as "Consolation."

As for those of us who are not on Team Edward or Team Jacob, Webster says fantasy isn't for everyone. "Such individuals are 'grounded' in reality; they do not like as much meddling with their imagination," he says.

But millions of rabid fans relish the chance to transcend humans' immutable physical limitations, such as -- to give a "Breaking Dawn" example -- being able to conquer death by being/becoming immortal.

"Imaginative involvement should let us escape or transcend the world, if only for a brief time," Webster says.